Page 64 of Guarded Hearts
“All right. All right. Jesus. Lay off the bell.”
From his voice alone, I guessed Ricky would be shorter than me, slighter than me. No match for me. The door swung back, and a cocky grin appeared on Ricky’s face.
“The Russian.”
“The thief.”
“That’s true, I guess. Stole Alyssa right out from underneath you.”
“No, no, no. The only thing you stole was her house.” I’d put the pieces together in the car. Olivia asking to move in because she’d left Kevin. Ricky giving the reporters a vague response about exactly where Alyssacould be found. The question now was whether they’d done anything more unforgivable.
Ricky knocked on the doorframe. “This place? Nah. We’re back together.” He eyed the bag in my hand. “Not sure what she told you, but the two of you were never going to work out.”
“Where is she?” I’d made the mistake of jumping to conclusions once before, and I’d promised her and myself I wouldn’t do it again. I kept my promises. If she really had changed her mind, I’d hear the words directly from her mouth. The icy grip of fear clenching my heart would only be eased by seeing her, even if she told me she didn’t want to be with me.
“Not here,” Ricky said.
The two-word response coupled with his smug expression was enough to set me off. I dropped my bag with a thud and took a step toward Ricky. “Tell me where she is.”
Ricky put some distance between us, hands raised. “You think that bitch told me where she was going?”
I clenched my jaw to keep a slew of Russian from bursting out. “Bitch?” The word barely made it past my lips. I’d intimidated many people as Mia’s bodyguard. If that was the route I needed to go to get information, I’d gladly walk it.
Ricky took a step back, the smirk returning. “Oh, wow. She’s done a fucking number on you. I don’t know—maybe pussy is lacking in Russia, but it’s not in America. You can find it anywhere. Whatever you’re thinking about doing to me. She’s not worth the hassle.”
I chuckled. “You think this is a hassle? No, no, no. This is a pleasure. I’ll take great pleasure in roughing you up. Perhaps I’ll even sing a little Russian tune. Would you like that? To have me sing to you in Russian while I beat you?”
Allthe color drained out of Ricky’s face. “I’ll sue you.”
I slid on my most menacing face like a mask. “You’re assuming you’ll be in good enough shape to hire a lawyer.”
“She’s at a hotel. I don’t know what hotel.” Panic tinged his voice.
“Why are you in her house?” I’d backed Ricky against a wall.
“Her key wouldn’t work in the lock? I was just helping her out?”
“That is bullshit.” I didn’t touch him, but I towered over the other man, determined to get to the truth. “I will find Alyssa, and if she tells me you have stolen her house, I will be back to help her make it right.”
“Like today? You’ll be back today?”
I glowered. “Yes.” I took another step, and Ricky’s back bumped against the wall.
He swallowed. “I’m sure she’s at a hotel nearby. She couldn’t have gone far.”
“Keys.” I held out my hand.
“To what?”
“The house. The car in the driveway.”
“That’s my car.”
“Today, it is mine.” I rose to my full height, hunching my shoulders like a wrestler about to take down my opponent. If I had to go to several places before I found her, I wasn’t calling multiple cabs or taking the bus. Ricky had done this, and he could pay the price. Minor, in my estimation. “Until I find her, the car is mine.”
Ricky dug the keys out of his pocket and dropped them into my hand. “If anything happens to my car—”
“Save your threats.” I stared him down. “If Alyssa is fine, your car will be fine. You will be fine. If she is not fine, no one will be able to help you.” With that, I turned on my heel, grabbed my bag off the floor, and left the house.
